Survey Looks At Job Vacancies [AUDIO]

ST. CLOUD -- A new study shows employers in certain Minnesota industries are having trouble filling open vacancies.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, or DEED, surveyed 213 businesses that had over 1,500 available positions in the second quarter of 2012.

Findings reveal employers are having troubles with skill mismatches, demand-side issues such as unattractive wages, hours or location, or a combination of the two.

The three areas surveyed are production services, nursing or medical services and manufacturing. Employers are saying there simply aren't enough skilled workers.

The Director of the Labor Market Information Office at DEED, Steve Hine says the problem is bigger than one issue.

St. Cloud area manufacturers have also expressed similar concerns over a lack of workers in a shrinking workforce.

As high school's face budget cuts, shop or industrial tech programs are being cut.

Oriane Casale is the assistant director of DEED's Labor Market Information Office. She says employers are citing a lack of early education as a cause for some of the issues.

Casale says the study shows companies can fix an experience problem by offering more internships or on-the-job training.

Of the three industries survey, registered nurses were found to have the least issues with skill mismatches.

When DEED contacted  the participating businesses months later,  61% of job vacancies had been filled after previously being listed as hard-to-fill.